In recruiting, there victories within victories. Four-star linebacker recruit Gyasi Akem told SicEmSports.com that he plans on attending Baylor's spring game this Saturday.

And the Bears may have exactly what the Rivals No. 238 national prospect wants in a football program.

That would be a big step toward Baylor trying be a factor in this recruiting race since Oklahoma and Oklahoma State are among his other offers. Akem could not make it for either the Feb. 2 or March 23 junior day.

"Baylor is a really good program and academically, they stand out,'' Akem said. "I talked to coach [Jim] Gush about a week ago about coming down there. Right now, I'm just looking at the pros and cons of each school. I haven't made any decision.''

The first thing Akem wants to know is if his potential new home will have a high-tempo practice tone to it. Well, that's not a problem with Baylor since fast is the only speed with which Baylor practices.

Now, the spring game may not present the true tempo because of the way it occurs. Still, Akem can tell if a program does that or not.

"We play and practice at a high pace,'' Akem said. "You go to some high schools, and you see a lot of people standing around on the field and walking. What I want from my school is to be somewhere where there is more intensity. Something that's not worse than my high school.

"In games, you can tell they are high paced. If the defense is not getting tired, then that means they are practicing fast. We're all exhausted when we finish practice. But it's going to make us better for games.''

Like Baylor, Broken Arrow's defense bases out of the 4-2-5. Akem plays the nickel back because he can run (4.5). He will usually roll to the side of the receivers - the speed side - but will blitz quite a bit on third down. While stats are totally known, Akem estimates he had nearly 20 sacks.

Should he pick Baylor, that may not be where he ends up. He said Gush told him that they are looking at him either at the nickel or the back side linebacker position.

In the meantime, Akem will focus the spring on the track season and his work in the 110 and 300 hurdles.

"I have a chance to win state,'' he said. "I'm not the best hurdler in the world, but there's a difference between track speed and football speed. Track really helps me.''